The Auschwitz Memorial in Amstedam

Yesterday we were welcomed into Amsterdam with wind and rain, a weather combination that must have followed a Seattleitte such as myself. It was a bit of a letdown, since I was expecting to escape the rain, but we set out with brave faces with one mission: for a walking tour on Jewish history.

We met the guide in one of the historically Jewish neighborhoods, and began with some background on the city with specific focus on the Jewish history of the area from the time of the Inquisition and when people began coming to Amsterdam for sanctuary. We learned that the street had originally had four synagogues, and now there is a large Portuguese Jewish synagogue that has no electricity or heating; so it is lit entirely by candlelight.

From there we saw other sites, including a block that used to house a Jewish orphanage for girls. What I thought was particularity interesting was that there was a tax on Kosher meat to help pay for those in the Jewish quarter who were not able to care for themselves; such as the girls in the orphanage. We also went to the Auschwitz memorial monument. It was eerily beautiful and heartbreaking, as the guide explained that the planes of broken glass were to signify that the sky was breaking at the horror of Auschwitz. So when you look at the monument (panes of glass, broken by the artist) the reflection is of the sky and the rivets in the glass reflect a broken sky). The plate of glass above the ground reads “Noot Meir Auschwitz” or “Never Again Auschwitz.”

After learning about the memorial everyone was so wet and freezing, we had lost two umbrellas to the fury of the winds, and it was about time for some steaming hot drinks. We visited a little café across from the park and the Auschwitz memorial and collected ourselves, attempted to dry off, and learned that all you need is a leaf in water to grow a plant, after discovering the mint tea served there is like a small mint plant in a glass.

From there we wandered down some more streets, and saw the sculpture dedicated to resistance fighters. It signifies the fist of resistance, and the barrier represents the challenges faced. Then we quickly visited a museum that used to be a Jewish outdoor theater and was later used as a place for the Nazis to round up the Jews before they were sent to one of the camps in Poland. What I thought was very cool was that across the street was where they kept the children up to 6 years of age, and resistance workers would smuggle children out by waiting until tram 9 passed and separated the view of the two buildings, and then run along with the tram until they were out of site; and then relocate the children somewhere safe. They were able to get many, many children out this way since they were easier to hide than an adult. At the resistance museum there was a note about this, and one quote said that the people on the tram of course saw them doing this, but no one ever said anything because “that’s Amsterdam.” I believe that is a very succinct and correct way of describing this city. Everything I have seen so far can be observed by the phrase “that’s Amsterdam.” Quirky, slightly strange, very unique.

Photo: Sophia Venditti